AANHPI Leaders Applaud the President and the Department of the Interior for Proposed Hawaiian Home Land Rules

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Leaders Applaud the President and the Department of the Interior for Proposed Hawaiian Home Land Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) sincerely thank the Department of the Interior (DOI) and President Obama for proposing rules Friday for public comment regarding Hawaiian home lands.

The proposed Federal rules aim to clarify how the DOI reviews land exchanges involving Hawaiian home lands and amendments to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act proposed by the State of Hawai‘i. The proposed rules will be available for official comment on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at www.regulations.gov.

NCAPA leaders issued the following statements:

Michelle Kauhane, president of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: “We are excited to hear the news about the beginning of the rule-making process. This has been a top priority for us for many years as we further our goal to improve the lives of our Native Hawaiian community and Hawaiian Home Land Trust beneficiaries. We recognize this announcement as a significant first step and look forward to reviewing the rules further and providing our comments.”

Mini Timmaraju, NCAPA national director: “NCAPA is proud to work with our member group, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and partner, the Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly (SCHHA), to support these proposed rules. We look forward to supporting CNHA in their work with DOI and the President to ensure that Native Hawaiian voices are heard in the rule-making process.”

Robin Danner, one of the first Hawaiian leaders to advocate participation in NCAPA, and policy chairman of the SCHHA: "We are very pleased to see real action from the Obama Administration in furthering the rights of our Hawaiian people. We congratulate the President for making good on this long overdue commitment to those on the lands established by Congress under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and those still waiting. The SCHHA is proud to have worked on this policy priority with CNHA, and we especially thank NCAPA for standing with Native Hawaiians to push for justice now and in the years to come."

###

The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), founded in 1996, is a coalition of 34 national Asian Pacific American organizations. Based in Washington D.C., NCAPA serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AA & NHPI) communities and to provide a national voice on policy issues and priorities.